Graduate Engineering Annual Research & Recruitment Symposium (GEARRS) 2016 Prateek Shrestha PhD Student (Advisor: Prof. Shelly Miller) Indoor Air Quality Research Group March 3rd, 2016

A huge portion of global energy consumption occurs in the U. S A huge portion of global energy consumption occurs in the U.S. Within the U.S., about a third of the entire energy consumption occurs in buildings. If we can make buildings more energy efficient, we not only reduce load on natural resources, but also reduce emissions. Source: http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/ChapterIntro1.aspx

Home Weatherization Sources: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20533801_21063153,00.html http://freshome.com/2012/11/01/10-wise-ways-to-save-on-winter-heating/ http://mvprealtygroup.com/free-report-fall-winter-maintenance-guide_413.html http://greenratcontrol.com/attic-care/attic-insulation/ http://omahadoor.com/attic-insulation/ http://www.johnsavesenergy.com/PipeInsulation.html#.Vbvzf_Nviko http://www.wikihow.com/Weatherize-Your-Home http://cleancrawls.com/services/weatherization-duct-sealing/

Energy Vs Health Tighter buildings-> Poor ventilation Introduction of new materials -> higher emission rates of compounds like formaldehyde So…weatherization = more good or harm?

Measurement parameters In 125 weatherized and 125 non weatherized homes, we measure: Respiratory health of occupants (spirometry tests) Air exchange rates (blower door tests) Survey tools (Source: ndd Medical-EasyOne™ Plus website) The top four indoor air pollutants that have the highest chronic adverse health impact are particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), secondhand smoke, radon (smokers), and formaldehyde (Logue et al. 2012)

Building Air Exchange Rate Measurement Blower door test / Fan Pressurization Test (Source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/home-energy-audit2.htm)

Automated multi point depressurization blower door testing ACH50

Preliminary Results Weatherized Homes Non-Weatherized (Control) Homes Sample size (n) 27 16 Avg. ACH50 12.93 15.64 Median ACH50 11.43 15.86 SD 5.91 6.33 An independent-sample t-test was used to check the statistical difference in data sets of weatherized and control homes, but no significant difference was observed (p=0.17)

ACH Annual Weatherized ACH Winter Weatherized ACH Summer Weatherized Preliminary Results ACH Annual Weatherized ACH Annual Control ACH Winter Weatherized ACH Winter Control ACH Summer Weatherized ACH Summer Control P = 0.11 P = 0.13 P = 0.12 Mean 0.66 0.83 1.03 1.27 0.74 0.92 SD 0.28 0.35 0.44 0.52 0.32 0.39 Median 0.55 0.77 1.17 0.61 0.86 Max 1.40 1.69 2.14 2.55 1.57 1.87 Min 0.23 0.43 0.36 0.62 0.26 0.46

Qualitative Observations Weatherization is not necessarily done properly Mechanical ventilation installations are extremely rare Attic insulation and door weather stripping are most common Activities Number of homes Door weather-stripping Window weather stripping Caulking around door/window frames Furnace ductwork sealing Crack sealing with foam 16 12 13 7 1

Future: Fire Study 30 homes (15 Weatherized Vs 15 Non weatherized) Gaseous and particulate concentration logging (CO, CO2, HCHO, PM2.5, O3, Temp., RH%) Inside Vs Outside During fire and post-fire survey tools Sources: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/06/29/colorado_springs_wildfire_new_technologies_to_combat_forrest_fires_.html Pod Manual

For more information please visit our website: www. colorado For more information please visit our website: www.colorado.edu/cuweatherize

Acknowledgements Prof. Shelly Miller (CU Boulder, Mechanical Engineering), PI Prof. John Adgate (CU Denver, Colorado School of Public Health), Co-PI Prof. Elizabeth Carlton (CU Denver, Colorado School of Public Health), Co-PI Prof. Elisabeth Root (Ohio State University, Geography Department), Co-PI Dr. Jamie Humphrey (CU Boulder, Mechanical Engineering) , PostDoc and Research Coordinator Mohamed Eltarkawe (PhD Student, CU Boulder) Jonathan Kohlenberg (Research Assistant, CU Boulder) Alex Mass (PhD Student, CU Boulder) Alisen Bol (Research Assistant, CU Boulder) Adam Pittman (Research Assistant, CU Denver) Kelsey Barton (Research Assistant, CU Denver) Ethan Zerpablanco (Research Assistant, CU Boulder) Sam Rock (Research Assistant, CU Boulder) Adam Hahn (Research Assistant, CU Denver) Stefano Brunelli (Former visiting scholar, CU Boulder)

References http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/ChapterIntro1.aspx http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20533801_21063153,00.html http://freshome.com/2012/11/01/10-wise-ways-to-save-on-winter-heating/ http://mvprealtygroup.com/free-report-fall-winter-maintenance-guide_413.html http://greenratcontrol.com/attic-care/attic-insulation/ http://omahadoor.com/attic-insulation/ http://www.johnsavesenergy.com/PipeInsulation.html#.Vbvzf_Nviko http://www.wikihow.com/Weatherize-Your-Home http://cleancrawls.com/services/weatherization-duct-sealing/

Thank You! Questions?